"♫Makin' a soundtrack for another planet to hear♫" on @PumpUpThaVolume: Episode012 - Blank Maps was recorded live on RevereRadio.net and features brand new #SongOfTheDay sounds from Bobby Womack, The Walkmen, School of Seven Bells, Devin, Cassandra Wilson, Bombay Royale, Bassnectar, Kelly Hogan, PiL, Cold Specks, Flavor Crystals and Blooper... because it can't be news and politics all the time!

Episode012: MP3/Feed\Archive

Previous: Episode011 - Free All The Monsters

Notes

****************************************
Notes from @TheUdog: Aloha and Mahalo. Coming to America, albeit Hawaii, for the first time was an eye-opener. Thanks to an AT&T commercial I have found some new appreciation for KISS, and despite some heavy jet lag I am trying desperately to get back in the "New York Groove." This week we are going to keep in line with the last couple of weeks and attempt to keep the notes short and sweet, but there is some great music ahead, a few tracks from The Walkmen, we have some Public Image Ltd and we kick off with Bobby Womack, so please enjoy the next hour or so and be sure to Pump Up Tha Volume!

Bobby Womack
"Please Forgive My Heart"
'The Bravest Man in the Universe'
XL, 2012
Note: The man behind the Rolling Stones first UK no.1, Womack has been a big deal for most his career, working across a variety of genres and with a number of artists including the Gorillaz. In 2009 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
(More Info)

The Walkmen
"Heaven"/"Love Is Luck"
'Heaven'
Fat Possum, 2012
Note: Not one, but two tracks by The Walkmen this week from their 7th studio album which celebrates a decade of music from the band. With an average rating of 7.5 out of 10 its fair to say that 'Heaven' has been received well, critically speaking. Phil Ek produced the album and it was recorded in the woods of Washington, leading Hamilton Leithauser to describe it as their easiest one yet. Furthermore, Leithauser has suggested that Frank Sinatra's work has heavily influenced the vocal work on the album.
(More Info)

School of Seven Bells
"Lafaye"
'Ghostory'
Ghostly International, 2012
Note: This is the first album to be released since founding member Claudia Deheza left the band in 2010. The band's name is often abbreviated to SVIIB and is apparently taken from a mythical South American pickpocket training academy. Their style is best described as dreamy and ephemeral.
(More Info)

Devin
"Masochist"
'Romancing'
Frenchkiss, 2012
Note: From Brooklyn, this is the debut for Devin. "Masochist" is the lead single off an album that offers a unique, but typically no-nonsense, Brooklyn vibe that mixes a sense of pop with a late '90s rock sound.
(More Info)

Cassandra Wilson
"Passion"
'Another Country'
eOne, 2012
Note: Two time Grammy award winner and former Blue Note Records signee, Cassandra Wilson moves to eOne (formerly Koch) where the songwriter, vocalist and producer from Jackson, Mississippi collaborates with guitarist Fabrizio Sotti for 'Another Country' and the guitarist is credited with lending this track its Latin flair!
(More Info)

Bombay Royale
"You Me Bullets Love"
'You Me Bullets Love'
HopeStreet, 2012
Note: From my home town Melbournia, this band is touted as having written the sound track to an unwritten Tarantino film. Tony Hillier of The Australian has suggested that Hindi-Bengali lyricists and vocalists Parvyn Kaur Singh and Shourav Bhattacharya lend kitsch and clout.
(More Info)

Bassnectar
"Do It Like This" (w/ Ill. Gates)
'Vava Voom'
Amorphous/Om, 2012
Note: Despite pushing the Dubstep envelop, Bassnectar aka Lorin Ashton cites Metallica, Megadeth and Nirvana as influences. Bassnectar is an advocate for true media, net neutrality ending corporate personhood and is associated with the non-profit org Conscious Alliance. Perhaps James (Corbett or Evan Pilato) will have him on as a guest soon!
(More Info)

Kelly Hogan
"We Can't Have Nice Things"
'I Like To Keep Myself In Pain'
Anti-, 2012
Note: 'I Like To Keep Myself In Pain' is the first full-length release from Hogan since 2001. Hogan has also had some interesting roles as an actress, including stage work and a guest role in an episode of 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' where she played a concubine alongside her musical partner Neko Case!
(More Info)

Public Image Ltd
"One Drop"
'This Is PiL'
PiL Official, 2012
Note: Remember that other guy from the Sex Pistols, Johnny Rotten? Well he goes by John Lydon and he started PiL in 1978 before breaking up the band in 1992 and reforming in 2009. Public Image is associated with some of Rock and Roll's greatest including The Damage Manual and The Clash.
(More Info)

Cold Specks
"Blank Maps"
'I Predict A Graceful Expulsion'
Arts & Crafts/Mute/EMI, 2012
Note: Cold Specks aka Al Spx signed with Mute at the start of this year and worked with Rob Ellis to produce her debut album. As recently as this week the album was long-listed for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize, so keep an eye on this one!
(More Info)

Flavor Crystals
"Mirror Drop"
'Three'
Minneapolis Limited, 2012
Note: Returning from a 5-year hiatus, the band has continued to impress critics with their neo-psychedelic sound. The latest release, 'Three', is a 72-minute soundtrack that has been released on vinyl, CD and digital.
(More Info)

Blooper
"Secret Song"
'Go Away'
self-released, 2012
Note: "The opening track on 'Go Away'... is a dextrous exercise in lo-fi pop songwriting that wouldn’t sound out of place on the first Best Coast album."
(More Info)

****************************************
Other @PumpUpThaVolume Tweets:
@SPINmagazine: 2012 is halfway over, so we helpfully compiled the 40 best albums of the year... so far
@iTunesPodcasts: We're halfway through 2012, so NPR’s @allsongs takes a moment to reflect on their favorite music of the year (so far)